Your tax return & payment deadline is January 31st for sales you made between April 6th 2024 and April 5th 2025
FAQ's
General
Key Tax Dates
About Our Service
General
Will HMRC know if they are my 'own sales' or 'trading sales'
Don't run the risk.
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HMRC uses AI across all platforms to look for what they call 'badges of trade'.
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It can see;
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Repeated buying and selling patterns
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Modifications or improvements after listing
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Any business signals (such as names, accounts, advets, posts etc etc
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Buying with intent to sell
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Then they will come knocking and you'd better have your numbers.
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When we say 'come knocking', we mean either a letter telling you to declare all your numbers, or, a letter telling you what they think you owe, and asking you to verify or prove otherwise.
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Also, if you've told them you only sell your 'own items' they don't take it lightly when their 'badges of trade' suggest otherwise. Penalties and fines can be severe.
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Don't risk it.
Read more: [Will HMRC know? →]
Do I need to register for self-assessment if I'm selling on eBay etc?
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It depends...
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If you are just selling your own items, no.
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If your total trading income from all platforms is under £1,000 in a tax year, again you don’t need to register.
Once your income goes over £1,000 (including fees), HMRC expects you to register for Self Assessment.
You can do this online at gov.uk — it’s quick and free.
Read more: [When to Register for Self Assessment →]
Can HMRC actually see my online data?
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Yes — and it’s far more advanced than most people realise.
HMRC uses an artificial intelligence system called Connect 2.0 to match your online activity, bank data, and declared income.
It pulls information from selling platforms like eBay, Etsy, and Vinted, as well as from payment processors and even social media.
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If there’s a mismatch, you might receive a “nudge letter” — an official notice that says “We believe you may have additional income to declare.” These aren’t random; they’re based on real data that HMRC already has. Ignoring one can move your case from automated review to manual investigation, where penalties are tougher.
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The system operates under the Digital Economy Act 2017, which gives HMRC broad access to third-party data. The message is simple: keep your records clean and your declarations accurate.
At Sole Seller Tax, we make that easy, you send us your figures, and we prepare a clear, HMRC-ready report that matches what they’ll already see.
Read more: [HMRC's AI Connect 2 Explained →]
Does Etsy report my sales to HMRC?
Yes and you might need to declare it.
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Etsy is one of the platforms included in the new HMRC data-sharing rules (known as DAC7). That means Etsy may automatically report your sales and income information if you make 30 or more transactions or earn more than around £1,740 in a calendar year. HMRC will then match those figures with your tax records.
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If your total trading income — that’s all your sales before expenses — is under £1,000 in a tax year, you don’t need to register for Self Assessment. But once you go over that threshold, you’ll need to declare your income. The easiest way to stay organised is to keep a record of your sales and costs throughout the year.
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At Sole Seller Tax, we turn your raw Etsy sales data into a simple HMRC-ready summary. You send us your details — we crunch the numbers, so you don’t have to.​
Read more: [Etsy Sales and HMRC Reporting Explained →]
Do I have to pay tax on my Facebook sales?
Yes and No....and you might need to declare it.
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It's easier to start with what isn’t included
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If you sell informally on Facebook Marketplace (your own items, cash in hand, local pickup, no payment through Meta), then Facebook isn’t “facilitating” the payment, so:
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There’s no transaction record in their commerce system
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They don’t have payment data to report
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You remain outside the DAC7 reporting requirement
In short:If Facebook never handled the money, it won’t report you.
However; if you are buyng and selling items this way, in theory you still need to report it.
HMRC would still see that as income you need to report. The answer depends on what you sell and how often you do it.
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Read more: [HMRC and Facebook Sales Explained →]
Is the threshold £1000, £1740, OR 30 sales...I've seen all 3 quoted.?
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You're tight, it's confusing.
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The truth is, they are all correct.
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£1740 or 30 sales is where the platforms are obliged to report you to HMRC
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£1000 is HMRC's threshold for taxing you earnings.
So if your gross income (not profit) from sales has exceeded £1000 then you will have to complete a tax return.
This doesn't mean you will have to pay tax, as any amount payable is based on a profit you have made. Which you can offset by using any expenses incurred.
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This is where we come in, our summary PDF will use all the latest tax calculations and software to make sure you are paying the least amount of tax and often zero tax.
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Don't do it yourself.
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Read more: [£1000, £1740 and 30 sales rule Explained →]
I've crossed the £1000 sales limit...what now?
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You must register for self-assessment and document your sales and expenses.
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In theory the deadline to register was October 5th just gone, but don't worry you can still do it.
Now it's time to document all the sales you made between April 6th 2024 and April 5th 2025.
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Don't do it yourself - use our spreadsheet.
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All you do is add your data and we'll do the rest. Our clever software will automate everything according to HMRC current tax legislation and automatically calculate the best expenses etc, so you pay little or no tax.
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Read more: [Crossing the £1000 Sales Limit Explained →]
Key Tax Dates
Key tax dates for self-assessment?
HMRC have made it a bit confusing, we'll simplify it.
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Every tax year (for individuals) begins on April 6th.
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Every tax year (for individuals closes) on April 5th (the following year).
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Any filing and payment is due by the following January 31st.
As a real example, let's show the year you are now in for payment any filing and payments.
Began April 6th 2024
Ended April 5th 2025
Filing and payment due by 31st January 2026
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So, you need to be telling HMRC about any sales you made April 6th 2024 and April 5th 2025, and paying tax (if any is due) by 31st January (this coming January).
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Read more: [Self-Assessment Tax Years Explained →]
About Our Service
Who are you?
​We are a team of tax technicians working across partnerships in the South Manchester area of the UK.
We developed this service as a way of helping individuals who don't want to employ expensive accountancy services
Using of decades of experience, specialist software and automation, we are able to make our service inexpensive and quick.​ It really suits folk who just need things clearing up so they know where they stand.
Do I have to send your report to HMRC?
No. It's for you.
Our service is strictly between us. It's strictly private. Once you have your report, it's entirely up to you who you share it with.
Most of our customers fond the 'own items' self-selection feature particularly useful.
How easy is your spreadsheet?
It's brilliant...even if we do say so ourselves!
You can add your sales row by row if you like, or, you can even copy and paste your sales data from the downloadable files given to you by the platforms.
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So, for example, you can often download a 'CSV' spreadsheet from say eBay. Just copy and paste the data into our spreadsheet and ping it back.
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Once your data is entered, just save it and send it back by email. We'll do the tricky bit.
Get started here if you're ready to make tax simple, it's currently just £39, although that price rises in December.
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Does your service cover all my tax affairs ?
No.​
The service you are buying is soley for the purposes of your online sales activity across all the platforms.
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If you have an accountant, then this information will be extremely valuable, as it is all calculated and in one place. This way your accountant can add it to you wider tax affairs if you have any. It will save them lots of work.
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If you don't have an accountant, then our service is pefect! You'll have all your numbers and tax position regarding your online sales in one neat PDF.
Our calculations are based on current HMRC tax legislation and best practices within the accountancy profession.
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Do you offer broader tax advice?
We can refer you to our panel of partners.
Again, the service we offer here for just £39 will get all your online sales in order.​
If you need broader advice, for example if you are trading heavily, running a business or a company, or have tax issues then our partners can help.
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Send us a message using the form on the 'contact us' page.​